


Be honest with me

by PerriewinkleNerdie



Category: Open Heart (Visual Novel)
Genre: F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-19
Updated: 2019-11-19
Packaged: 2021-02-13 13:27:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,106
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21495037
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PerriewinkleNerdie/pseuds/PerriewinkleNerdie
Summary: Drunk head tells what a sober one is too afraid to say
Relationships: Ethan Ramsey/Main Character (Open Heart)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 34





	Be honest with me

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, hello, hello!  
Guess who's back? Back from dead? Just kidding, I'm still dead. My brain hurts so much, but I needed a break or I would go crazy. I started writing it a few days back and just now got the inspiration to finish it, so here we are.  
Enjoy! <3

“Give me all the food I can get.” She stated as she sat down by the table, the music playing in the bar blending with her words a little. Sienna pushed pizza her way, grinning as Bryce tried to grab a slice.

“Ah, ah, ah. No more pizza for you. She had a long day, she earned it.” she shook her head, swatting his hand to the side. His face twisted in mock pain, sliding away from her.

“Herondale likes me, so one slice won’t be a problem, right?” he asked, pleading her with his eyes, to which she laughed, biting into the first slice, indicating a ‘no’ with her movements.

“Nof a shanse.” She spoke with her mouth full, letting the conversation around her resume.

They had a long day behind them. A massive accident, lots of victims and lots of work. Their hands were full of people in pain and in despair. It was only normal for them to go out, despite being tired, on the verge of falling asleep, even if only to eat and have one drink. It was getting late and they were beginning to lean on each other, laughing with last bits of their energy. Claire’s phone screen lit up before an incoming call flashed across it. She grabbed it, swiping her finger to take it, excusing herself from her company.

“Hello?” she muttered, yawning, rubbing her fingers over her closed eyes, trying to stay awake. She was met with a long moment of silence, nothing could be heard, and she was about to hang up, when she heard the softest sound.

“Claire?” a voice on the other end slurred, most definitely drunk and tired. She didn’t have time to look at the ID of the caller, but one word was enough to tell her that Ethan was on the other end of the conversation. Her heart sped up without her consent, her skin tingling at the sound of his voice.

“Ethan? Are you okay?” she asked, more sober and awake now, her senses tuned to him and what he was saying. He laughed, a sound of glass hitting the table in the background.

“I’m fine… I think… You know what, no- I’m not.” He stumbled over his thoughts, pausing a couple of times, most likely to take a sip of whatever alcohol drink he was having. “I miss you.”

“Ethan-“

“I love you, Claire. It’s just that… I don’t even know what… why do we… why do I have to restrain myself… damn me and my self-control.” he confessed, stunning her into silence. She listened as he continued to talk, not sure what to say or how to react.

She wasn’t sure when it occurred to her that he basically confessed his love for her. Maybe it was when he started speaking without any sense, maybe it was when he repeated it, at least five times. Her eyes got wide when through all the layers of tiredness, alcohol and fear the realization settled in. He said he loved her.

They weren’t together. They agreed to put a stop to this, almost two years now they’ve been walking the line with a wall between them. If she had to be completely honest, she wasn’t sure how she felt anymore. They were friends, that much she knew. Ethan was her person, her partner in crime, even if not literally, and she knew he considered her the same for him. Endless and countless nights, hung over piles upon piles of paperwork, patient charts, copious amounts of coffee and chocolate, falling asleep by the desk only to be woken up by the sound of the hospital being brought back to life after a long night. They always lingered a moment too long when they were separating, smiles were always just that much softer, gestures that much gentler.

He was a different person when he was with her, and he was beginning to admit it to himself. Deep inside he knew that he might never get over his feelings for her. During the day he managed to keep his raging emotions at bay, except for every single time he so much as saw her. In moments like those, his heartbeat would pick up, his face would get flushed and he would have to take a few deep breaths to calm down. It seemed ridiculous, the fact that no matter how much time has passed or will pass, he couldn’t become immune to her. She was like a disease that he couldn’t cure, or maybe he didn’t want to cure himself from her.

No matter the reason, here he was, calling her, drunk, and confessing his love for her. Claire was still as confused as she could possibly be, but he kept on talking, mumbling, taking long breaks before speaking again. In the meantime, she bid her friends goodbye, giving them some lame excuse about being tired and wanting to get some sleep. She continued to listen to him as she drove back to her apartment, as she opened the door, as she sat down on her bed with a cup of steaming tea.

“Ethan?” she asked when he stopped talking and remained silent for more than ten minutes. It was more than probable that he simply fell asleep or his phone fell from his hand and he was too unstable in his movements to pick it up.

Her line of thoughts was interrupted by a doorbell, cutting through the silence. Without even thinking about it, she moved to the hall to answer, thinking that it was her friends, simply too wasted to get their own keys. Door fell open and her breath got taken away. She’s never seen him this drunk or tired, he looked like he was running and he was soaked from the rain that started to fall from the sky as soon as she got home. His breathing was labored, shoulders slumped, his hair stuck to his head, falling onto his forehead. He was looking at her with that heavy gaze, his eyes shining brightly in the night, piercing through her from beneath his thick lashes, sending a spark through her.

“Claire-“ he took a hesitant step towards her, falling towards her, his arms wrapping loosely around her waist. She grabbed him tightly, preventing them both from falling. Pressing the door shut, she steered them towards her room, bumping into the doorframe once or twice, wincing in pain.

When she finally managed to get them steady, she took half a step back, just to see him looking at her already. There was something hidden in his eyes, something deep and intense, swirling there, catching the scarce light in the room. He lifted his hand to her cheeks, stroking her lips with his thumb, a ghost of a smile on his face.

“How I long to kiss you…” he whispered, his voice breaking , getting smaller and softer. He embraced her once more, burying his face in her hair, pressing a lingering kiss to her neck.

Claire stroked his hair in a soothing manner, unsure how to react. He was saying all the things she wanted to hear from him, but he was also drunk, so it was more than likely that he would not remember it the next day. He breathed deeply, inhaling her scent like it was all he needed to live, before leaning back, kissing her cheek and then forehead, his eyes falling shut.

“Come on, let’s get you to bed, you should get some sleep.” She muttered, pulling him by his hand, sitting him down and helping him lie down. He laced their fingers together, squeezing them tightly before he fell asleep.

She sat down by his side, covering him with a blanket, looking at him, deep in her thoughts. It must have been the most bizarre night of her life in the past few years. She wondered what caused that reaction, what prompted him to call her, what was the reason for him come here, to open up to her, to tell her everything without any inhibitions or hesitation. He seemed to be so sure, so determined to let her know that…

He loved her.

There was no way of knowing how aware he was that he told her that. Time would tell, in few hours he would wake up, see where he was and decide what to do next. Decide if he wanted to take that back, pretend it never happened, or if he wanted to own up to his feelings and act upon them.

Claire sat down on the loveseat, picking up another blanket and drifting off to dreamless sleep.

\--- --- ---

The first thing she could feel the next morning was the soft breath, tickling her neck, and a pair of arms, wrapped securely around her. His scent reached her senses, overwhelming her immensely and she got even more confused. She also noticed that she was lying in her bed, covered by the same blanket she covered Ethan the night before. Her whole body became tense as she wasn’t sure what to make out of the situation she found herself in.

“I can feel you being awake, Rookie, you don’t fool me.” He muttered into her ear, his grip on her tightening. Her muscles relaxed a little, only slightly, when she didn’t hear even a hint of embarrassment or anger in his voice.

“How are you feeling?” she asked, refusing to turn around to face him. As soon as she would do it, they would have to face the reality of the previous evening existing in their history and she wasn’t sure if she was ready for that.

“My head hurts way less than I expected it to, and I did manage to get some sleep, which is definitely working in my benefit.” He responded, and she couldn’t see him, but the smug undertone of his voice was clear as day.

“How did I get to bed? I remember falling asleep in the loveseat…”

“I woke up in the middle of the night, at first very confused, until I remembered where I was, and then I saw you there, in the most uncomfortable position ever known to human kind. I couldn’t bring myself to let you suffer. And besides, it is your bed, you have more right to sleep in it than I do, so it was only fitting that I move you to get some proper rest.”

Silence fell upon them, as heavy as fog in the middle of the night, clouding their minds. They got dressed without speaking one word to each other, and it was killing them from the inside. They’ve been through so much together, and yet, when it came to their feelings, there seemed to be this roaring chasm that separated them, seemingly impossible to cross.

Or so it seemed. Because she couldn’t stand it anymore.

“So are we just going to ignore the fact that you drunk-dialed me to tell me you love me?” she asked in one breath, her words fast and for the most part incoherent, but he understood them all too well.

His stomach squeezed as she confronted him about his actions, staring at him with equal parts boldness and uneasiness. A tempest of emotions they felt around each other was the strongest sensation either of them have ever felt, like a magnet that pulled them towards one another.

“I-“ their eyes met as he tried to justify his behavior, tried to come up with a believable excuse for his slip of control, but the damage was done. He told her he loved her, there was no coming back from it. A point of no return. “I don’t know what to tell you. What do you want me to say?”

“I want you to tell me the truth.” She took a step towards him, then another, until they were face to face. Green met blue and his hand flew up to cup her cheek in his palm, much like he did the night before. “I want you to be honest with me. That much you owe me.”

“Honest about what?” he chose to play dumb, something he hated in other people. She made him act recklessly, with his heart instead of his head. She was messing with his head, and he would let her do it, time and time again.

“Us. Was what you said true?” she asked quietly, searching for answers in his blue irises. They stared at one another, waiting for the other to make a move. “Do you love me?”

“I do.” He answered before fitting his lips to hers in a softest of kisses.


End file.
